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rynlingAlthough Tumblr ceased to be a mainstream social media platform toward the end of the 2010s, it remains one of the internet’s largest gathering places for fandom subcultures, especially among young women and people who identify as queer. As someone who actively participates in video game fandoms, I’m continually impressed by the creative energy my fellow fans bring to their passions.
It’s become something of a truism that Tumblr is “the monsterfucker site,” and this is especially the case when it comes to video game characters ranging from cartoonish figures like Bowser Koopa (from the Super Mario Bros. games) to deeply disturbing monstrosities like Pyramid Head (from Silent Hill 2) and the Capra Demon (from Dark Souls). There is, of course, a large crossover with furry communities, and some of the largest and most influential accounts on Tumblr are run by people who create and share art of sexy nonhuman monsters.
What I’d like to argue is that, on an internet increasingly inundated by advertiser-friendly AI slop, there are still vibrant communities of creative people working at the margins of culture, especially in spaces tangential to horror. I’d like to use this argument as an opportunity to advocate for the acknowledgment and support of female and queer creatives, especially those of us operating entirely outside the realm of mainstream commercial culture.
I mean listen, I'm not wrong.
I listen to a fair number of political podcasts, and I think it's also worth saying that I'm pushing back against a certain type of leftist/progressive male podcaster who makes a living from discussing the impact of internet subcultures but refuses to acknowledge any online space that isn't male-dominated because, idk, girls and gays have cooties.
Also, Millennials on Bluesky are always like, "We need to support minority creators," but the "minority creators" they have in mind are people who have already achieved mainstream success. Which is profoundly annoying.
The truth is that, if you really want to support queer creative communities, you're going to have to acknowledge that these communities are making art that might not fit neatly into mainstream commercial marketing categories. And their work is so much better and more interesting for this, honestly.
It’s become something of a truism that Tumblr is “the monsterfucker site,” and this is especially the case when it comes to video game characters ranging from cartoonish figures like Bowser Koopa (from the Super Mario Bros. games) to deeply disturbing monstrosities like Pyramid Head (from Silent Hill 2) and the Capra Demon (from Dark Souls). There is, of course, a large crossover with furry communities, and some of the largest and most influential accounts on Tumblr are run by people who create and share art of sexy nonhuman monsters.
What I’d like to argue is that, on an internet increasingly inundated by advertiser-friendly AI slop, there are still vibrant communities of creative people working at the margins of culture, especially in spaces tangential to horror. I’d like to use this argument as an opportunity to advocate for the acknowledgment and support of female and queer creatives, especially those of us operating entirely outside the realm of mainstream commercial culture.
I mean listen, I'm not wrong.
I listen to a fair number of political podcasts, and I think it's also worth saying that I'm pushing back against a certain type of leftist/progressive male podcaster who makes a living from discussing the impact of internet subcultures but refuses to acknowledge any online space that isn't male-dominated because, idk, girls and gays have cooties.
Also, Millennials on Bluesky are always like, "We need to support minority creators," but the "minority creators" they have in mind are people who have already achieved mainstream success. Which is profoundly annoying.
The truth is that, if you really want to support queer creative communities, you're going to have to acknowledge that these communities are making art that might not fit neatly into mainstream commercial marketing categories. And their work is so much better and more interesting for this, honestly.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-30 04:05 pm (UTC)We're both creatives in these subcultures, so this seems so natural to us that it feels silly to talk about it. But, in broader cultural spaces, I think a lot of people really have no idea that art and writing are in no real danger from AI. Once again, the internet furries will save us all lmao
no subject
Date: 2025-10-30 09:15 pm (UTC)🍸 TO THE INTERNET FURRIES WHOSE SERVICE SHALL CONTINUE TO SAVE US!